• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 29, 2021

Disney will be the first brand to have a custom Amazon Alexa voice assistant on Echo devices.

The assistant, which will have its own voice (the “Disney Magical Companion”), is named for its wake command: “Hey, Disney!”

It will debut sometime next year on room devices at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and be purchasable in the U.S. through the Alexa Skills Store, for use on supported Echo devices.

The price of the home devices hasn’t been revealed.

The voice assistant will feature recordings of original Disney character voices, and allow users to initiate more than 1,000 audio interactions, such as having characters take them on “adventures” or tell them stories, or call up content such as jokes, fun facts and Disney trivia.

The assistant can also be used for functions like setting timers and alarms, or checking the weather or time of day.

The version used at Walt Disney World will interface with the Alexa for Hospitality program, enabling guests to use it to ask questions about the resort and request room items like towels or blankets. 

Amazon introduced its Alexa Custom Assistant technology, which lets companies create their own smart assistants tailored to specific brands and customer needs, earlier this year.

Fiat and Legoland Parks are also using the technology, but not directly on Echo devices.